Indicating mechanism for underbunker coal control gates



y 1959 M. N. MOCLOSKEY 2,888,170

INDICATING MECHANISM FOR UNDERBUNKER COAL CONTROL GATES Filed Sept. 16,1957 INVENTOR MELVIN N. M0 CLOSKEY ATTY.

United States INDICATING MECHANISM FOR UNDERBUNKER COAL CONTROL GATES Melvin N. McCl'oskey, Titlin, Ohio, assignor to Webster lgllalllufacturmg, Inc, Tilfin, Ohio, a corporation or Application September 16,1957, Serial No. 684,004 3 Claims. (Cl. 222- 41) present application 'isa continuation-in-part.

The invention is specifically concerned with apositionindicatingmechanism for the control gates associated with underbunker coalconveyor systems of the, type set forth in the above-mentionedapplication whereby the operator may at all times be apprized of thecondition of the gate or gates utilized in the system, ie whether thegates are closed or open and, if open, whether they are in conveyorfeeding or conveyor by-passing position.

Systems of the type involved herein are associated with an overhead coalbunker of fairly large capacity and which is divided into a series ofindividual bins, the bins being arranged in alignment and extending in arow throughout the entire length of the bunker floor. The 'bins are openat their top and may selectively be fed by the'usual overbunkerconveyor. Beneath the bunker floor and similarly extending the fulllength thereof is an underbunker conveyor which is adapted toselectively receive coal from the various bins above and which,accordingly, communicates with the various bunker or bin outlets throughthe medium of a series of gravity chutes, each chute discharging into as'o-called'three-way hopper'w'hich has associated therewith plural gatedevices capable ofbeing selectively operated to distribute the coal in apredetermined manner. The gate may be operated to discharge the coaldirectly into the underbunker conveyor from the bin above; it maybeoperated to bypass the coal around the conveyor and discharge the samefor consumption at some remote point, as for example to a Weighing scalepreparatory to bein'gfed to a stoker for the operation of a boiler orthe like; or it maybe operated to discharge the contents of the conveyorissuing from a remote point in the conveyor system, for example fromanother bin in the series directly into the hopper for subsequentdischarge thereby to the scene of boiler operation. By such anarrangement, it is possible by selective operation of the gate devicesassociated with the various hoppers to withdraw coal from anydesiredportion of the bunker for use at various boiler locations, or for otherdisposition thereof as desired, and even for transfer of coal from onebunker bin to another bin, utilizing suitable elevator mechanism forthis purpose. Since the gates associated with conveyor systems of thetype briefly outlined above are disposed and operable within the bunker,or within respective by-pass hoppers which are fed from the bunker bins,and are therefore entirely concealed, the operator may, at times, be ata loss to ascertain the condition of one or more of the gates in thesystem. Furthermore, in manipulating these gates, in the event that oneof them should become clogged in the vicinity of one of the extremepositions of which it is Patented .May 26, .1959

capable of assuming, the operator will, under certain circumstances, notbe aware of such clogged condition and he will act upon the assumptionthat the gate is either fully open or fully closed when, intact, thegate is in a mid-position.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above-notedlimitations that are attendant upon the operation of the gatesordinarily associated with underbunker coal conveyor systems and, towardthis end, it contemplates the provision of a novel and eflicientindicating assembly including ,pointerand scale .instrumentalities whichmay be installed as original equipment on the usual gate operatingshaft, or which maybe .applied to exist- 'ing gate installations, andwhich will render to the operator of the system a visual indication ofthe-position of the gate with which it is asociated, i.e. an indicationof whether the gate is in its conveyor feeding position, its by-passposition, or any intermediate position, as well as indicating the extentto which the gate is partially open in such intermediate position.

The provision of an indicating mechanism of the character brieflyoutlined above being among the principal objects of the invention, it isanother object thereof to provide such a mechanism which is applicableto the gate operating shaft entirely externally of the bunker or hoppercasings where it is plainly visible to the operator and whereby it maybe installed, serviced, adjusted or otherwise attended to withoutrequiring dismantling of any portion of the bunker or hopper structureor of the gate itself.

The provision of an indicating mechanism of this sort which is comprisedof a minimum number ofparts and which therefore may be manufactured at arelatively low cost, and which furthermore is rugged and durable andtherefore unlikely to get out of order, are further desirable featureswhich have been borne in mind in the production and development of thepresent invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this timeenumerated, will become more readily apparent as the followingdescription ensues.

In the accompanying single sheet of drawings forming a part of thisspecification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention has beenshown as being associated with a typical underbunker coal conveyorsystem.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view 'of an indicatingmechanism constructed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention and showing'the same operatively installed on a coal by-passfeed hopper associated with an under-bunker conveyor system,.and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 ofFig. l in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a fragmentary portion of thelower end region of a coal 'chute is designated at 10, the chute leadingor depending from the hottom wall of one of a series of overhead bins(not shown) associated with a conventional coal bunker. The extremelower end of the chute 10 is confined within an upstanding flange 12provided on the top Wall 1'4 of "a by-pass hopper '36 associated with an'underbunk'er conveyor assembly 18 a fragment of the casing of such"assembly being shown in Fig. 2 at 20.

The details of the bunker structure, the chute '10, conveyor assembly 18and other portions of the system to,

which the present invention is applicable are illustrated in myabove-mentioned copending application and reference may be had to thisapplication for a full understanding of the system. In the presentapplication, only such portions of the system as are pertinent .to anunder standing of theindicating mechanism of the ,present in;-

asssnvo vention have been illustrated in the drawings and describedherein.

The by-pass hopper 16 is provided with vertical front and rear walls 22and 24 respectively, side walls 26 and 28, a bottom wall (not shown),and the previously mentioned top wall 14. A horizontal section of theside Wall 26 is flared outwardly as at 30. The top wall 14 is providedwith an opening 32 therein, this opening being bounded by the previouslyupstanding flange 12 and being in vertical register with the lower openend of the coal chute 10.

The rectangular opening 32 is adapted to be eifectively closed by meansof a horizontally reciprocable or slidable seat gate member in the formof a generally rectangular plate 34 having a shallow trough-likedepression 36 formed in the medial regions thereof, thus providinglateral side wings or flanges 38 which are tractionally supported on aseries of supporting rollers 40 rotatably mounted on pins 42 carried bythe hopper casing side walls 26 and 28. The gate member 34 is movablefrom the normally closed position thereof illustrated in Fig. 1 whereinit underlies and efiectively closes the opening 32, in oppositedirections away from the opening so as to uncover either end of thelatter and allow coal to pass downwardly through the opening 32 and intothe hopper 16. When the gate 34 moves to the left as viewed in Fig. 1the coal will pass through the opening 32 and downwardly through thehopper casing and be discharged from the latter for subsequentconduction to a weight scale prior to introduction to a stoker or thelike. When the gate moves to the right as viewed in this figure, thecoal will pass through the opening 32 and enter the conveyor casing 20for lateral passage along the upper run of the conveyor and away fromthe hopper. Accordingly, the top wall of the conveyor casing 20 isformed with an opening 44 therein in communication with a chute 46, theupper rim of which underlies the left hand end of the opening 32 in thetop wall 14 of the by-pass hopper 16 as seen in Fig. 1, and alsounderlies the left hand end of the gate 34 when the latter is in itsextreme right hand position. Thus, when the gate is moved to its extremeright hand position, coal will fiow by gravity through the opening 32and 44 and be deposited in the conveyor casing 20 on the upper run ofthe conveyor.

Movement of the gate 34 between its normally closed position over theopening 32 and either of its open positions is eifected under thecontrol of a hand wheel 50 mounted exteriorly of the hopper casing 16 ona transverse shaft 52 rotatably iournalled in bearing plates 54 on thecasing side walls 26 and 28. The shaft 52 carries a pair of spacedpinions 56 thereon in the medial regions thereof which mesh with toothedracks 58 mounted on the underneath side of the gate member 34. From theabove description it will be seen that turning movement of the handwheel 50 in one direction or the other will effect correspondingrotation of the pinions 56 which, in turn, will cause toothed racks 58to be moved horizontally and longitudinally in one direction or theother to move the plate assembly 34 between the various positions ofwhich it is capable of assuming.

According to the present invention, in order to render a visualindication of the particular position which the gate assembly 34 assumesat any given instance, the gate operating shaft 52 has associatedtherewith an indicating mechanism which has been designated in itsentirety at 60. This assembly involves in its general organization astationary scale bar 62 of elongated design and having a verticalportion 64, a horizontal portion 66 and an upstanding vertical flange68. The bar 62 is supported from the inclined portion 30 of the bypasschute side wall 26 by means of a plurality of brackets 70 which may bewelded as at 72 or otherwise secured to the outer face of the inclinedportion 30'.

Each bracket 70 is formed with a laterally extending vertically disposedflange 74 to which the vertical portion 64 of the scale bar 62 issecured by means of anchoring screws 76 or the like. The scale bar 62 isprovided with suitable indicia such as has been shown at 80, 82 and 84respectively and which may be labelled as at 86 to indicate thepositions of the gate assembly 34 when the latter is in its extremeright hand position as viewed in Fig. 1 so that it uncovers the openingleading into the chute 46, in its closed position wherein it completelycovers the opening 32, or in its extreme left hand position wherein ituncovers a portion of the opening 32 but completely covers the rim ofthe chute 46. The indicia 80, 82 and 84 on the scale bar 62 are'designed for cooperation with a pointer 88 carried on and dependingfrom a longitudinally shiftable reciprocable rack or carriage 90 whichis U-shaped in cross section as seen in Fig. 2 and includes parallelsides 92 and a connecting base 94. Each side 92 of the rack 90 is formedwith an elongated longitudinally extending slot 96 therein through whichslot the gate operating shaft 52 extends. The base portion 94 of therack 90 is adapted to rest upon the horizontal portion 68 of the scalebar 62 and the rack 90 is thus slidable along this horizontal portion 68to the limit permitted by the ends of the slot 96 so that the pointer 88will be moved along the scale bar 62 for cooperation with the indicia80, 82 and 84 respectively. Suitably secured to the upper face of thehorizontal portion 94 of the carriage or rack 90 is a rack elementproper 100 having teeth 102 formed thereon which mesh with a pinion 104fixedly secured to the gate operating shaft 52 and rotatable in unisontherewith.

From the above description it will be seen that-upon turning movement ofthe'hand wheel 50 in one direction or the other and consequent turningmovement of the gate operating shaft 52 to move the gate assembly 34longitudinally in either direction, the pinion 104 will impart motion tothe rack element 100, and consequently to the carriage or rack assembly90. Since the pinion 56 meshes with the toothed rack 58 on the side ofthe shaft 52 opposite the region of engagement between the pinion 104and toothed rack 100, it is obvious that upon turning movement of thegate operating shaft 52 the carriage 92 will move in a directionopposite to the direction of motion of the gate assembly 34.Furthermore, because of the fact that the effective diameter of thepinion 104 is less than the effective diameter of the pinion 56 theamplitude of displacement of the carriage 92, and consequently of thepointer 88, will be less than the amplitude of displacement of the gateassembly 34. By such an arrangement the overall size of the indicatingassembly 90 of the present invention need not be large despite therelatively large displacement which is effected by the movement of thegate assembly 34 between its two extreme positions.

From the above description it will be observed that the indicatingmechanism 90 of the present invention is positioned on the by-passhopper assembly 16 at a region in the vicinity of the hand wheel 50 sothat the operator, when stationed at the hand wheel for gate shiftingpurposes may readily observe the position of the pointer 88 andascertain therefrom the existing position of the concealed gate assembly34. Because of the fact that the assembly is disclosed wholly exteriorlyof the casing associated with the by-pass hopper 16 the same is readilyaccessible for purposes of inspection of parts, replacement or repairthereof. Furthermore, because of this accessible position, the assemblyis capable of being readily installed on existing gate control shafts 52not originally equipped with such indicating mechanism.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification asvarious changes in the details of construction may be resortedto-without departing from the spirit of the invention. Only insofar asthe invention has particularly been pointed out in the accompanyingclaims is the same to be limited.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with an apparatus for handling loose comminuted orother material commonly handled in bulk and including a container forthe material provided with an elongated opening therein for discharge bygravity of the material therethrough, a horizontally reciprocable feedgate selectively movable in opposite directions within the containerbetween an intermediate central closed position wherein it completelycloses said opening and two laterally displaced open positions whereindifferent regions of the opening are uncovered for selective feeding ofthe material through the opening at horizontally displaced regionstherealong, a driven rack mounted on said feed gate and extendinglongitudinally therealong, a control shaft for said gate mounted forrotation about a fixed axis and projecting into said container from aregion exteriorly thereof, and a driving pinion mounted on said shaftand meshing with said rack whereby turning movement of the shaft inopposite directions will effect longitudinal shifting movement of therack and consequently of the gate in opposite directions respectively,of a second pinion fixedly mounted on said shaft exteriorly of thecontainer, an elongated scale bar fixedly mounted on said containerexteriorly thereof and extending transversely of said shaft, anindicator rack mounted for shifting movement in opposite directionslongitudinally of said scale bar, said indicator rack meshing with saidsecond pinion on the side of the control shaft opposite to said drivenrack whereby tuming movement of the shaft in one direction will effectlongitudinal shifting movement of the indicator rack in the oppostedirection, and cooperating pointer and indicia means on said indicatorrack and scale bar for indicating the extent of displacement of saidfeed gate from its central position.

2. The combination with an apparatus for handling loose comminuted orother material commonly handled in bulk and including a container forthe material provided with an elongated opening therein for discharge bygravity of the material therethrough, a horizontally reciprocable feedgate selectively movable in opposite directions within the containerbetween an intermediate central closed position wherein it completelycloses said opening and two laterally displaced open positions whereindifferent regions of the opening are uncovered for selective feeding ofthe material through the opening at horizontally displaced regionstherealong, a driven rack mounted on said feed gate and extendinglongitudinally therealong, a control shaft for said gate mounted forrotation about a fixed axis and projecting into said container from aregion exteriorly thereof, and a driving pinion mounted on said shaftand meshing with said rack whereby turning movement of the shaft inopposite directions will effect longitudinal shifting movement of therack and consequently of the gate in opposite directions respectively,of a second pinion fixedly mounted on said shaft exteriorly of thecontainer, an elongated scale bar fixedly mounted on said containerexteriorly thereof and extending transversely of said shaft, anindicator rack overlying said scale bar, cooperating guide means on theindicator rack and scale bar permitting longitudinal shifting movementof the indicator rack relative to the scale bar, said indicator rackmeshing with said second pinion whereby turning movement of the shaft inone direction or the other will efiect longitudinal shifting movement ofthe indicator rack in a corresponding direction, and cooperating pointerand indicia means on said indicator rack and scale bar for indicatingthe extent of displacement of said feed gate from its central position.

3. The combination with an apparatus for handling loose comminuted orother material commonly handled in bulk and including a container forthe material provided with an elongated opening therein for discharge bygravity of the material therethrough, a horizontally reciprocable feedgate selectively movable in opposite directions within the containerbetween an intermediate central closed position wherein it completelycloses said opening and two laterally displaced open positions whereindifferent regions of the opening are uncovered for selective feeding ofthe material through the opening at horizontally displaced regionstherealong, a driven rack mounted on said feed gate and extendinglongitudinally therealong, a control shaft for said gate mounted forrotation about a fixed axis and projecting into said container from aregion exteriorly thereof, and a driving pinion mounted on said shaftand meshing with said rack whereby turning movement of the shaft inopposite direc tions will effect longitudinal shifting movement of therack and consequently of the gate in opposite directions respectively,of a second pinion fixedly mounted on said shaft and positionedexteriorly of the container, an elongated scale bar fixedly mounted onsaid container exteriorly thereof and extending transversely of theshaft, an indicator rack mounted for shifting movement in oppositedirections longitudinally of said scale bar, said indicator rack meshingwith said second pinion whereby turning movement of the shaft in onedirection or the other will effect longitudinal shifting movement of theindicator rack in a corresponding direction, and cooperating pointer andindicia means on said indicator rack and scale bar for indicating theextent of displacement of said feed gate from its central position, saiddriving pinion having an efiective diameter larger than the elfectivediameter of said second pinion whereby comparatively large displacementsof the feed gate will result in comparatively smaller displacements ofthe indicator rack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS495,590 Kaucher Apr. 18, 1893 1,327,455 Willis et al. Jan. 6, 19202,350,763 Jackson June 6, 1944 2,626,719 Stock Jan. 27, 1953

